The Mechanic (2011)
Brief review: Simon West brings this nicely-executed action thriller, that follows an elite hit man, as he teaches his trade to an apprentice who has a connection to one of his previous victims. Though "The Mechanic" starts out a bit sloppy and somewhat moody, it picks up speed and energy very soon, to turn itself into a clever, gripping, uncompromising and spectacularly-violent action flick, that will keep you on the edge of your seat till the very end. "The Mechanic" may lack originality, but its cliche-ridden plot is compensated by a fantastic cast, some atmospheric visuals and West's creative direction and action staging. The action itself is one of this film's main strengths - the shooting scenes are high octane, the stunts are spectacular, and the fights are extremely well-choreographed and brutal as hell. Jason Statham is perfectly cast for his role as the harsh and cold-blooded professional assassin, Arthur. He's silent with his words, but very expressive with his eyes and body language. Ben Foster often steals the show with his tough, yet emotionally-powerful performance as the troubled Steve McKenna. His character is as enigmatic as he's engaging, and you can't help but being captivated by his screen presence and undeniable charisma.
Overall summary: Despite suffering from some pacing issues and an uneven editing in its first half, "The Mechanic" proves itself a thrilling and thoroughly entertaining kinetic action flick with brains, that delivers everything it promises.. and then some.
Overall summary: Despite suffering from some pacing issues and an uneven editing in its first half, "The Mechanic" proves itself a thrilling and thoroughly entertaining kinetic action flick with brains, that delivers everything it promises.. and then some.
18 comments:
Well I'm glad to hear this was good. Jason Statham rarely disappoints me but I still usually wait until DVD for him. I'm not surprised about Ben Foster he always delivers but rarely gets any credit.
I love to just enjoy Jason as he shoots, chases, gets chased and blows stuff up. He always ends up with some wicked rides, too. I've liked Ben Foster since he was 30 Days of Night.
Nicole, I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was well-made, gripping and quite smart, actually. Jason Statham is a true action star, no doubt about it. I can't agree more with you about Foster. He's so underrated.
Mel, he has absolutely outdone himself this time and his fighting skills are beyond impressive. Foster surprised me. He really delivered in this one!
I surely expected yet another mediocre action flick when I first heard of this film. But I'll definitely give it a shot because of your suggestion, buddy.
I'd love to do some guest appearances for your blog, just name the movie :)
I have never been a big fan of Jason or his movies so I really didn't plan of seeing this one. However, I did get a chance to see it and was surprised that I liked it. The action, and story were good. I particularly liked the ending. Great review!
Can you believe I've never seen a Jason Statham movie?
Not terribly original, but for Statham fans, it delivers on all levels.
Jaccsy, I was expecting another stinker, too, but I was pleasantly surprised. I reckon you're gonna like it a lot.
Oh, that's great! Just give me a day or two to figure out which movie would be worthy for a great writer like you :)
HorrO, so glad to hear that. I expected it to be quite lame, but, just like you, I left the cinema wholly satisfied :) And yes, the story was kinda smart, and the action spectacularly-staged.
Thanks, buddy.
Andrew, really? :) If you're planning to see one, I suggest "The Mechanic" :) You won't be disappointed, I promise :)
Alex, yes, it lacked originality, but other than that it delivered the goods ;)
far from being a masterpiece but at least highly entertaining including lots of great kills, beautiful camera work, a (once again) fabulous Statham and a quite surprising Ben Foster.
7/10
Maynard, I absolutely agree, though it was a bit formulaic. Having said that, execution-wise it rocked!
This was a lot of fun. Statham was at his best!
Ty, absolutely. I expected another mediocre action thriller, but it exceeded my expectations. Statham is the man! :)
Statham Rocks! He has a new movie coming out in August on DVD called Blitz. It looks Awesome!
Ty, a straight-to-DVD movie with Statham? I don't believe that! :)
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